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Gang task force members accused of acting like 'thugs' in Abbotsford restaurant

Mo Dhaliwal

VANCOUVER – The acting chair of British Columbia’s multicultural advisory council says he was made to feel like a “second-class citizen” when members of a multi-agency gang task force abruptly ordered him and others out of a restaurant without valid reason and then temporarily detained him in handcuffs when he asked for each of the officers’ names.

Later, when he and his cousins decided to hit up another venue, they ran into the same officers, at which point one of them allegedly told him he was “not welcome” there either.

Mo Dhaliwal, 34, who works in digital marketing and is a high-profile member of the Indo-Canadian community, told Postmedia News that he decided to go public with his account of the June 2 incident because it left him with unanswered questions: Why was he targeted? Was he racially profiled? Why did police have to act like thugs?

“These guys seemed like they were on – I wouldn’t say war path – but they were there to clean house one way or the other. When they addressed me I sensed there was a latent aggression there,” he said.

“These are people that are just feeding off this us-and-them mentality. It is adversarial, aggressive and it’d turn the average citizen against them.”

Dhaliwal, who denies any gang associations, said he is trying to arrange a meeting with the officers he encountered that day to discuss his concerns.

“I’ve never had any run-in with the cops that would make me think ill of them at all.”

A spokeswoman said that Supt. John Grywinski, who oversees the team, plans to meet with Dhaliwal on Sunday and feels it would be better to hold off commenting on the incident until he talks to him.

Grywinski did provide a general statement saying that the presence of anti-gang officers at restaurants and bars has helped to disrupt the activities of gang members and prevent violent outbreaks.

Under the Bar Watch program, businesses consent to police going in and removing known gang members and their associates or people who have a record of serious violent or drug-related crime.

“Section 41 of the Criminal Code of Canada gives us the authority to remove someone who is unwanted from a property or establishment at the request of the owner and/or manager,” Grywinski said.

He added: “While we do check gang members, we are often called upon to deal with other police issues and that can be anything from patrons refusing to pay a bill or patrons causing a fight.”

This past June, the province pledged an additional $66 million over three years to support the team.

Dhaliwal, who typed a five-page account of the incident, says that afternoon he attended the “Celebrate the Harvest” festival in Surrey put on by the Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration Society, which he founded.

Later that evening, he joined some cousins and their friends at the Cactus Club in Abbotsford, east of Vancouver. He said he had a couple of glasses of wine with dinner on the patio.

At one point he left the table to go chat with some female friends who were near the bar. He said he joined them in having a shot. One of the women in the group was visibly intoxicated, he said.

Gang task force officers – who Dhaliwal later learned were Abbotsford police Sgt. Mark Jordan, RCMP Const. Joel Shoihet, West Vancouver police Const. David Taylor and RCMP Const. Shawn Courtorielle – approached the group and asked the women to leave and they complied.

Dhaliwal says he asked the police why they were being evicted and was told that the restaurant’s management made the request.

Dhaliwal says he was then ordered to leave as well, even though he had not received any complaints from staff.

Outside, Dhaliwal says he was told the whole party had been removed for being there too long. Another officer then told him that management had singled him out as having behaved inappropriately.

Dhaliwal says he wondered aloud whether he was targeted because he is of South Asian descent and that officers said that was not the case.

Dhaliwal says when he asked the officers for their business cards and badge numbers, they handcuffed him and put him in the back of a police car. He says he was told he was being arrested for trespass.

But after being detained for about 10 minutes, he was set free.

Later that evening, he and his cousins decided to go to a pub where they ran into the same officers. One of them, according to Dhaliwal, told him, “You’re not welcome here either,” and so they left.

“Part of the reason I do what I do in life is because I want to bring people together, create understanding,” he said. “This was yet another reminder of just how far away we are from where we need to be.”

Dhaliwal is not the first person to complain about the gang task force. Steven Sugrim and Sabrina Haloulakos were pulled over in Burnaby on Sept. 16, 2011, and, according to the couple, subjected to aggressive and invasive questioning by the officers, at least two of whom were involved in the Cactus Club incident.

Sugrim, 28, says police quizzed him about what he did for a living and how he had acquired his car, a 2004 Cadillac CTS.

Haloulakos, 26, says one of the officers, Courtorielle, acted in a flirtatious manner and asked her how long she had been dating Sugrim and whether they had sex yet.

Haloulakos filed a formal complaint and in February, she received a written response from Grywinski.

Grywinski, according to the letter, said he appreciated Haloulakos’ “concern and uneasiness” and thanked her for coming forward. But he said the officer felt his approach was “nothing out of the ordinary.”

“From the member’s own submission, he had small talk with you as a matter of course while getting all of the necessary particulars from you,” he wrote.

Grywinski did, however, say that he had incorporated the incident into future training scenarios.

Grywinski also acknowledged that there may be times when a “casual approach” by officers may not be suitable in the circumstances.

“I want to apologize for how you felt you were treated by members of the Uniform Gang Task Force,” he said.

The couple said this week they were dissatisfied with the response. While they felt their complaint was handled with sensitivity, they were unhappy they didn’t hear directly from the officer in question. They were pleased to hear the incident would be used for training.

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